


Bound

by jujubean



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Comfort, Awesome Frigga, F/F, F/M, M/M, Odin's A+ Parenting, Sigyn and Loki BroTP, Thor Is Not Stupid, Visions and Prophecies, au reincarnation, loki is a good parent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-04-07 09:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4258179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujubean/pseuds/jujubean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are many different kinds of bonds. The bond between a mother and child, between brothers, lovers and friends. Some are broken when tested and tried, but others hold true despite all odds. Strong bonds are worth the petty inconveniences of a past time that one does not truly enjoy or waiting to go somewhere when you're ready. Some bonds are worth life as a person knows it. Some bonds are worth all of the riches in the world and some are worth the fate of the universe. </p><p>In the strongest of bonds, promises compile on one another and the tests of the Fates are to see just how far one will go to hold true to the deepest promise of all: protecting another further than oneself. </p><p>Sigyn will go as far as she needs to for as long as she needs to in order to preserve her bonds and her promises. It is not a question of whether or not she will survive it (perhaps). It is not a question of whether or not she is bound to too many, too strongly, for too long (undoubtedly).</p><p>Will her efforts be enough? Or will she be a pinnacle of greatness left broken? Even more importantly, if Sigyn breaks, what and/or who will break with her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Life is Varied

**Author's Note:**

> HI! So this is my first fic, please be gentle. Additional tags will be added as I go along, as will additional characters, I guess. This technically starts as kidfic, but I just need to lay the groundwork of everyone's understanding of each other as well as how magic works in this fic. I promise we will be dealing with adolescents and adults soon.
> 
> Eventually we will reach The Avengers timeframe where the wrongs done on Asgard start to have their consequences. 
> 
> Most of this will be in the POV of the Aesir, just FYI. Please feel free to comment with constructive criticism.

The morning had been long and tedious. Sigyn had no idea why the group of them even had to be present for it. Months ago, her parents had been beside themselves with joy because the All Father had promised to avow Prince Loki to her in marriage. Today they had all sat through the private ceremony as Prince Thor was promised to Sif Tyrsdottir as well as Sigyn’s own betrothal to Prince Loki. At some point soon there would be a feast that the children would hardly be allowed to attend for all that they would be presented like roasted birds. Honestly, it seemed a lot of trouble for what amounted to heavy clouds on a relentlessly dry day. Either party could break the betrothal at any time. They wouldn’t actually be expected to even consider marrying until they had reached their majority, which was a long time from now. Until then the lot of them would be forced into one another’s company in the spirit of ‘kindling a rapport’. It was basically the bragging rights of saying _my daughter is engaged to a Prince of Asgard._ Sigyn did not want to be engaged, she wanted to run around in her bare feet and talk to the plants. She had started receiving lessons in the magic that was her birthright not long ago, and was not interested in parting with it to curtsy and be _quiet and still like a Lady_ in the first place, much less in the presence of royalty _._

At least Sif had met the Princes before. Some virtue of her father’s allowed her to frequent Gladsheim and be playmates with Thor and Loki. The other girl was far more awkward, a terrible actress despite her station. Sigyn could pretend to be a Lady until Ragnarok come, whereas Sif would sooner sprout horns and bray like a goat. Sigyn’s mild superiority was short lived as the children were lead to the Queen’s garden and told to entertain themselves until the adults had finalized their agreements. While she was glad to be in the Queen’s garden, she was also terrified of socializing. Prince Loki had not glanced at her once, more interested in watching Sif fidget as if her beautiful dress was biting her.  Sif seemed to only want her freedom and she proved to be a good match to Prince Thor in that he was the same. No sooner than the escorts had turned around did Sif kick off her slippers and start jostling with her betrothed. Thor’s smile lit up the day impossibly bright as he teased Sif.

“Brother, does she not look _absolutely radiant_? Oh my dearest, come, give us a kiss!” Thor mocked, grabbing for Sif’s waist. Loki didn’t respond, but his smirk spoke volumes as he stood prim as he should like. Sif dodged Thor’s grab and proceeded to wrinkle her nose in an obscenely unattractive way before tripping Thor into the dirt. Loki’s laugh was akin to a bird’s cackle and Sif looked totally unrepentant as she gathered her skirts into her hands in a way that would surely damage the fabric.

“Oh, my dearest Prince.” Sif intoned, drier than ancient bone, “So valiant are you that even the dirt suits you mightily.” As she spoke, Sif stepped back cautiously, standing on the balls of her feet. She looked poised to both pounce and flee with her skirts gathered like a hoyden and a wolf’s smile upon her face. Sigyn thought the other girl had never looked as beautiful as she did in that moment. Not even when initially presented to the Queen. Sif looked like ferocity incarnate and as Thor slowly pulled up into a crouch, he himself was the embodiment of a challenge. Loki grinned at his brother while he stepped back out of the general range of a tussle.

On cue, Thor lunged and Sif sped away on quick feet, her dark hair tumbling down her back as pins flew in every direction. Thor gave furious chase as Sif led a winding path through the garden and around a bend. Loki’s low chuckle drew Sigyn’s eyes to him.

The younger prince shook his head a bit and began to walk after them, but paused. For the first time, Prince Loki turned and looked Lady Sigyn in the eyes. He then gave her a calculating stare from her strategically pinned tumble of curls, down her pristine court dress, to the tips of her slippers. Sigyn folded her hands before her and stood tall, just as a lady should. Loki returned his eyes to hers and squinted as if deep in thought, but Sigyn did not move.

“Apparently horseplay is the chosen ritual of celebrating an engagement. You do not look as if you would enjoy running all across the garden and acquiring a significant layer of dirt.” Loki noted. Sigyn felt as if she would choke on the effort not to gift with her least ladylike snort. She compromised with a head tilt that was closer to bored than coy.

“If I am to be covered in dirt, I would prefer it was for a purpose, Your Highness.” She replied quietly.

“If am to decide if I wish to marry you, I would prefer it took place when I _wasn’t_ watching Sif beat Thor’s face in.” Loki said. “Tell me, Lady Sigyn, what purposes are worth being covered in dirt when the next opportunity for a bath is so far off?” Sigyn pursed her lips and thought for a moment. It would be better do decide now, would it not? She could stop pretending just as Sif did and choose now whether she could tolerate Prince Loki in an intimate capacity. For Sigyn, the midst of a garden she had never seen before was about as intimate as anything could be. Without another word, she stepped out of her slippers and held them with her first two fingers in the backs, careful not to crush the sides. She then ran the flat of her palm along the hem of her dress, activating her mother’s spell and causing it to disappear until it ended just above her ankles. Sigyn looked up to see Loki’s eyebrows climbing his forehead; for such a narrow faced boy, he favored an owl. It was refreshing not to stifle her giggle.

“I will show you, but there are requirements.” Sigyn cautioned, holding up her hand and folding fingers down as she spoke. “We will use given names. I am not going to trip over ‘Highnesses’ or what have you for the entirety of the afternoon. Second, you will never tell a soul that I can be anything other than the perfect lady. Last, all horseplay will be preceded by my explicit agreement.” Loki’s bow could be equally compared to her flawless curtsy as he pressed his fist over his heart and gave his solemn oath. Sigyn gifted him with her most delighted smile and wiggle her toes into the grass, feeling for its energy and letting it thrum against the soles of her feet.

“What do you know of life?” She asked, turning and walking away from him. She pressed her own heartbeat back against the one offered to her and watched with her inner eye as her magic wove through the garden, following energy paths laid by the Queen herself. Loki’s gasp was barely audible over Thor and Sif’s distant shouts. The prince stepped hurriedly to walk apace with her, watching as she greeted every living thing in the garden, sending the beat of her heart to it and receiving one in return.

“Life is varied.” Loki said, his voice hushed. Sigyn smiled at him again, pleased at both his answer and that he recognized the intangible heaviness of the moment. “Each strand of it alike as twins born of the Mother Tree, but different as the fires of Muspelheim and the winds of Jotunnheim. Each touch of it is precious in its departure, arrival and existence. Life is at once everything and no one thing at all.” Sigyn nodded at him, unsurprised that Queen Frigga would teach her son so well, and continued to walk along the paths and greet plants she had never dared to dream of seeing before she reached her majority. It was slow going and at times they carefully tiptoed through a flowerbed so that she could get just a bit closer to a particular flower or shrub. Loki was quiet next to her the whole while, watching her reactions to what she felt and clearly using his own inner eye to see the way she paid respects to the other magic around them while weaving in her own.

“All who can use the magic in their core have an affinity for a particular strand of life.” Sigyn whispered as she coaxed a bud from a flower next to a large willow tree. “All strands are different, so some will be manipulated more often than others, but all strands are alike; Thus, with enough practice-” Sigyn held the bud cupped in her hand and dropped it into Loki’s. Although he had never done it before, Loki tried to imitate the careful pulse of Sigyn’s magic and the bud unfurled prettily in his palm.

“-all strands can be manipulated.” He finished, smiling widely. They stood grinning at one another, her feet covered up to her ankles in dirt and the tips of his boots giving away his involvement. Sigyn waved her hand over his palm and Loki stood very still as the flower shuddered. They watched the flower grow a stem and roots, while a speck that Loki could now see was an egg sack grew larger and hatched into a half dozen ladybugs.

“Some are born with an affinity for all strands.” Sigyn said, cradling the bottom of Loki’s hand in hers and letting the ladybugs wander along her skin as well. She let her magic pulse against his hand, feeling the power in his bones and tendons above her fingertips. Loki breathed in to the count of seven, out to the count of nine and carefully pulsed his own magic in return. Sigyn closed her eyes and drifted for a moment, feeling him as she had done everything else, letting the edges of their magic learn each other. He made an aborted shout and Sigyn opened her eyes to see his magic joining the energy paths right alongside hers. It then strayed to the stones and glided along the wind for a ways. “Some have the capacity to learn much, much more.”

Loki, whose eyes had strayed and stuck to the willow tree, looked back at Sigyn and smiled in a mirror of Thor’s earlier grin. It was pure anticipation and delight, contagious in its very nature.

“You and I,” Loki whispered in confidence, “are going to be the best sorcerers the Nine Realms have ever seen.”

 

Sigyn smiled with all of her teeth. 


	2. Almost Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For two of the greatest sorcerers in the Nine Realms, "almost" is a challenge and "enough" is a pure lie (not a myth, myths are challenges too).  
> But in the grand scheme of things, Loki and Sigyn must face challenges that they don't know how to conquer. They must tell themselves whatever lies necessary to keep moving forward.
> 
> (Flash Forward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Frankenstein Voice-
> 
> SHE'S ALIVE.
> 
> I may or may not have had terrible writer's block alongside life issues that kicked my muse in the pants. Good news is, there is an extensive outline written for this. Frequent updates are a solid maybe, but it will be completed at some point, I swear. As a side effect of aforementioned writer's block, I went in a bit of a different direction that I meant to with this next chapter. I promised you guys Frigga, I lied. More Sigyn & Loki and a bit of other characters in this nice flash forward. I won't promise anything for next chapter, that way I don't beat myself up over content. 
> 
> Comments are always welcome, especially con-crit. (Don't make me beg. I will beg. Okay I'm begging.)

 

 

Loki pressed his cheek to the grass, letting his magic flow into the ground beneath him. _Gently_ , he cautioned himself so as not to overshoot. He eased into the flow of life within the Allmother's garden. Grass, flowers, trees, bugs, birds, anything and everything that burned with a particular light. Loki breathed, in to the count of seven and out to the count of nine, allowing himself to go boneless. Eyes closed, palms flat on either side of his chest, Loki's entire front felt as if it melted into the ground a little; along with the light of present, here and there were the echoes of light once entwined among the garden's denizens.

 

If he closed his eyes and emptied his mind and reached within his core, _deep_ where his hurts and fears and nightmares lived, shrouded in echoes...and made a sharp mental leap- there.

 

A bare wisp of magic both completely foreign and more familiar than his own.

 

Sigyn.

 

In this absent space, this perfectly cultivated limbo, he could almost feel her.

 

He could almost pretend the remnant was true, she was there within his reach.

 

Loki could almost trick himself into believing that he would ever see Sigyn again.

 

~

 

Sigyn woke slowly to long fingers carding gently into the long blonde curls at the base of her head. They tangled in and rested, carefully and willfully trapped. The cool tou-

 

No. There was no cool touch, Sigyn was warm. She was warm and surrounded on all sides. She registered fur tickling her cheek first, then a body nestled tight in her arms, something heavy and large pressed tight behind her right shoulder, three heartbeats. She opened her eyes to Hela's dark hair as Sigyn played the big spoon and they curled up like infants regardless. The last of Sigyn's calm sleep left her as she filled in the positions of the others. Fenrir's large lupine body curled around the two women as they slept mostly on his torso, and Jormungandr was wrapped around Fenrir, the tip of his scaled tail in Hela's hands but his head pressed into Sigyn's shoulder.

 

Sigyn breathed in to the count of seven and out to the count of nine, trying to calm herself without waking the children. It was dark in the cave where they had taken shelter. Should Hela wake up, a spell would activate and it would be bright as daylight but unnoticeable by outsiders. Sigyn mentally checked the spell just in case.

 

She had never been afraid of the dark and Loki had ever loved his shadows. But Hela's _screams_ -

 

Loki.

 

Loki was gone, lost to her, alone and heartbroken and all of her oaths be damned; there was nothing Sigyn could do.

 

She comforted herself with watching the lifestrings of the children around her. If she relaxed, she could perhaps pretend that Loki was there among them- sprawled out in sleep between Fenrir and Jormungandr, with a hand in Hela's hair. And if he woke, he'd card his fingers through her curls to wake her because... because he hated to be alone.

 

Sigyn let the play of lifestrings lure her into sleep once again and tried to trick herself into believing that Loki would somehow know that they were alright. That it would be enough.

 


	3. Ill Advised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the children should be watched much more closely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For GuesssWho, who made me realize people actually read the little bit I had up. Sorry it took so long. Comments feed terribly motivated authors, just fyi.

Loki had never considered himself particularly lonely. Between his family, his lessons and Sif, he had all of the interaction he could possibly need. At times it was far more interaction than he really wanted.

Loki had never anticipated Sigyn.

For three days his betrothed was all he could talk about. She had an abundance of practical knowledge, nearly all of her lessons were hands on and immediate. Sigyn learned by feeling and experiencing because her magic was so deeply attuned to her empathy. Loki on the other hand had far more book learning than anything during his lessons. It was mostly due to the fact that his magic was more multipurpose. While living things were all on the same technical wavelength, non-living things were a completely different story, and in order to manipulate both, Loki would have to learn of each and then study how they interact. The differences between them were fascinating- Sigyn herself was as well, she was just as spirited as Sif but far less inclined to argue in defense of it- but much more so was the potential of him and Sigyn working together. For Loki’s book learning to be supplemented by Sigyn’s empathy, there would be no spell that they could not accomplish. _If_ they could work together.

For the first time, Loki had met someone who was awed on the same level he was and just as excited to traverse the nuances of that wonder. Sif and Thor had a general appreciation of magic, but Thor’s inner eye was embarrassingly weak and while Sif was quick to admire all that she saw, she was less inclined to explore it. Sif preferred more tangible wonders despite Loki’s insistence that the true physicality of it came later, _after_ the adventure. Loki’s father was more inclined to tell him to focus on his initial studies, as there would be time to poke around in more complex magical applications afterwards. One would think the King and Protector of the Nine Realms was more disposed to multitasking.

Loki’s mother… the Queen Frigga knew much of magic and empathy, but she knew even more of her youngest son. Frigga was also very inclined to speak sense in a way that her son would understand, regardless of whether he liked it or not.

“Training two skilled sorcerers beside one another is always ill advised. Most especially if their abilities complement one another. To dabble in magic you have not been taught is to court danger.” Frigga said patiently, for what had to be the sixth time in two hours. Loki sat on the floor next to her skirts while his mother wove in a steady rhythm. His eyes were wide and earnest but he knew the set of his mouth would give him away. Did not all of the tales speak of charming princes who received their every wish? Was he not charming? Was he not a prince? His mother was the wisest woman in all of the Nine Realms, and _he_ knew that _she_ knew that learning alongside Sigyn would make them _better_ even _faster_ than their individual genius. It seemed a basic concept to him and he could not bring himself to understand his mother’s reluctance.

“Mother, there are only so many hours in the day!” he implored with his most winning pout. “How am I to attend all of my lessons, feed and water Thor, teach Sif her daily dose of impassiveness, and learn with Sigyn within such a short amount of time?”

“Your brother is not a pet.” Frigga replied placidly, _completely missing the point._ Loki struggled not to roll his eyes and settled for turning his sigh into a controlled breath.

“We won’t dabble in unlearned magic.” Loki swore, lying through his teeth. The moment he could get within breathing distance of a complex spell, he would devote his life to it. Frigga’s hands did not cease their movements as she turned a most un- Queenly smirk upon her child.

“Then you have no need to combine your lessons, for you will not be able to accomplish what she is working on and vice versa.” Frigga laughed as Loki dropped his pleading mask to squint in frustration. Ceasing her movements, she opened her arms to him. Though he was undoubtedly too old for such treatment and severely irritated with her at the moment, Loki indulged in the guilty pleasure of climbing into his mother’s lap. Her warmth enveloped him as she tucked his back to her front and wrapped her arms around him. Loki covered her arms with his and felt her brush a kiss across his hair.

“I just want you to be safe, little one.” She murmured and Loki immediately felt like a terrible son. “This is the start of a beautiful friendship which will mayhap turn into a beautiful marriage. You have _thousands_ of years to explore the secrets of existence with Sigyn at your side. It will do neither of you any good if one or both of you wind up on your last voyage before your time. And where would that leave me, without my little bird?” Loki giggled as she tickled his sides. Taking full advantage of the fact that they were alone in the Queen’s Weaving Room.

“There’d be no one to bring you miraculous things.” Loki confirmed, sighing in defeat. He turned and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m not going to leave you alone, Mother. I swear.” Frigga smiled and kissed his cheek.

“And I will not let you go.” She acknowledged. “That includes not letting you dabble even when you really want to.” Loki wrinkled his nose in uninhibited disgust, basking for a moment in the sight of his mother as she threw back her head and laughed. Queen Frigga was the most regal woman in all of the Nine Realms and it felt like the greatest of gifts to see her deliberately behave otherwise. Reaching into a pocket, he withdrew a stone that was ordinary to all appearances. It was the first stone he had ever actively felt while in the garden with Sigyn and he’d spent all morning looking for it. His mother did not question him when he slipped it into her hand, it was Loki’s custom to tell the stories of his findings when he was ready.

 

***

Loki had spent another three days going over it in his mind, careful not to say anything out loud lest he alert Heimdall. His logic was sound, the only worry was that perhaps Sigyn would not agree. For all that she was going to be an amazing sorceress, she was trained as a Lady. Ladies were meant to follow rules, were they not? Loki allowed himself to brood over the possibility for a moment before remembering the dirt of the garden coating delicate toes. Sigyn was a Lady, yes, but she understood the necessity of bending rules every now and again. She would see things his way, and if she did not… if she did not, then he would have to find a way to do something about their betrothal because they would be a terrible match. As it stood, manhood and marriage could not come soon enough. Not even Frigga All-mother would tell him how to spend his time with his wife.

When Loki stepped into his mother’s garden, Sigyn was reading on a bench. She could have been a tapestry for the butterflies in her hair and her perfect posture, but her dress was shortened to her ankles and her feet were actually wrapped in little snakes. Loki purposefully switched his sight and watched in awe as the garden communed with Sigyn, directly opposite the last they were there. The heartbeats of the snakes pulsated in their skin only where they touched Sigyn, and she pulsated her aura all at once, touching trees, grass and butterflies as well. She was the most enchanting thing Loki had ever seen in all of his life.

“Good afternoon, Sigyn. I wish to tell you of miraculous things that I have only just discovered exist.” Loki said confidently. He ran his right thumb along the lines of his left hand and switched them a moment later. Sigyn’s stare was very intense. She seemed to look directly into his soul, find the source of his mischief, and turn it sideways to inspect it further. Loki stood very still as he would with his father, hoping he passed her expectations. It felt like decades had passed until Sigyn closed her book and set it beside her on the bench. Her toes wiggled, peeking between the bodies of the snakes still entwined around her feet. Loki nearly vibrated in excitement when Sigyn just barely smirked, she looked much like Frigga before his mother did something mischievous.

“Why Loki, did the All-mother not tell you? We are not to study together.” Sigyn’s eyelashes fluttered as if she was confused and Loki burned with jealousy. The Lady was far more skilled than he was at containing his emotions. Already he could feel the smile pulling at him, demanding to be set free.

“We are not studying.” Loki demurred. He paced along the path a little ways and turned on his heel to face Sigyn once again with his hands clasped properly behind him. “I am informing my new friend of what I have learned. If I perhaps demonstrate what I speak of, it is only courteous to be sure you understand me.”

Sigyn’s eyes widened and she glanced around as if expecting her tutors to all jump from behind trees at once. Loki continued to smile patiently. Sigyn stood and paced in front of the bench, walking on her toes until her passengers adjusted themselves. The butterflies flittered about her head in dizzy twirls, easily mimicking what he would imagine her thoughts to look like. Loki idly wondered how often she walked around with one critter or another clinging to her. He had the sudden urge to find a very large spider, place it on Sigyn’s head, and grab Thor. He knew who would shriek like a skewered horse and it was not Sigyn. The lady continued her path back and forth, one hand carefully pulling a curl down from her styled hair and twirling it. Just as Loki was seriously wondering where Thor was and how big of a spider was obscenely big enough, she swiftly turned to him and smirked.

“I suppose it would be the most natural of progressions if I attempted only the most rudimentary of spells, with your magic alongside to guide me?” Sigyn’s voice lilted teasingly and Loki wondered yet again what use he had made of his life before the All-father’s wisdom had betrothed him to such a wonder.

“Tis only proper that we aid one another, as we are betrothed, my Lady.” Loki replied smugly. Sigyn’s grin was almost blinding; she dashed forward and grabbed Loki’s hand. The pulse of her heart was quick as a rabbit and Loki immediately sent his own back. He took a stone from his pocket and led her to the bench. “What do you know of quantifying the fragments of essence, Sigyn?”

“Why would you need to quantify them?” she asked curiously, pulling Loki to sit without letting go of his hand. Loki’s brow furrowed in concentration. He had managed it during his lessons, though he had only tried to use the stone. He wanted to do it perfectly, to see the awe on Sigyn’s face that he wore when watching the lifestrings. Sigyn was nearly holding her breath in anticipation, her hand gentle around his as if to limit the distraction. Loki held the stone between them in the center of his palm and their knees nearly touched as they both watched it closely.

“If you know the essence of a thing and you know how much of that essence there is,” Loki whispered, “you can change it.” The stone glowed green with Loki’s magic and a golden sheen started from the parts touching his skin until it overtook the entire stone. In the span of a few seconds, Loki held solid gold where the stone once was. Loki grinned and looked up through his lashes to see Sigyn’s lips in a perfect circle shape. She picked up the gold ingot and prodded it with her magic, icy blue energy -sheening over the surface.

“You _changed_ the essence of the rock.” Sigyn whispered in awe. “This is not a rock, this is gold. Loki, can you- can you change it back?” Loki concentrated once again and the ingot returned to its previous form in her hand. He had accomplished his goal indeed to make her stumble over her words.

“Rocks are made of many things.” Loki explained, wiping a trickle of sweat before it touched his eye. “Compressed dirt, minerals, dead insects and what have you. It is difficult. I finally did it today and wished to show you.” Sigyn blushed with pleasure and grinned at him before she stood and took a few steps back from the bench. Loki’s gut clenched in anticipation, knowing she would tell him something profound.

“The all-speak allows us to communicate with each other and most creatures.” Sigyn began. Loki held his tongue with effort. He had asked his mother many questions about the all-speak and her answers were thorough. But Sigyn bent to remove the snakes around her ankles and hold them in her hands. Her fingertips glowed icy blue for a split second. “However, most creatures do not only use their voices to speak. To press your essence against something, you acknowledge it and it acknowledges you. You can learn important things: how kind, how gentle, how friendly a thing is. But if you understand the mind of a creature, you can speak to its mind and understand it in the way it is meant to be understood. This does not quite help with explaining things to others, but it is wonderful for knowing things.”

Loki thought for a long moment, watching her, as he now understood, speak to the snakes. “But how do you learn the mind of a creature?” He asked. “There are so many! You would have to take the time to learn each and every one, just to speak?”

Sigyn giggled and shook her head. “What did I tell you about life, Loki?”

“All things are similar.” He confirmed.

“It is like…dancing.” Sigyn explained. “If you learn one dance.” She twirled in a circle and stepped in a triangle, one of the more popular dances at court. “It is not much of a leap to understand another.” Here she skipped and turned in a half-circle, then a triangle, one of the more popular dances in Vanaheim. “It is not _simple_ to do it properly, but it can be learned within a decent amount of time.” Sigyn stepped closer and held out her hands to Loki, gesturing for him to rise and he loosely wrapped his hands around the snakes and hers.

“Will you show me how to learn them, Sigyn? Truly show me?” Loki whispered, quiet and full of hope. He could live ten thousand years and not see anything half so intriguing as Sigyn in a pristine dress, dirt covered heels, butterflies in her hair and snakes in her hands.

“Only if you show me how to change the essence of things.” She said. At his grin, she closed her eyes. “Place your magic alongside mine and I will guide you.”

Loki felt it in that moment, the birth of tradition. He let his magic flow into his hands and an aura grew around the snakes, Sigyn’s light blue in some places and his emerald green in others. It felt like sliding his fingers between hers to hold hands, and then not like it at all. Loki’s magic _went into_ Sigyn’s and hers went into his. It felt like staying in the bath until it cooled perfectly, the water became the same temperature as his insides, and he could not tell where his skin ended and the water began. Sigyn was warm and soft like sun-kissed moss. Loki wondered idly what she felt and immediately the sensation of a cool autumn breeze and sturdiness- stone? Metal? Unyielding but comforting- took over him. Loki opened his eyes, unaware that they had closed, and saw the aura around their hands solidify into a color more like seafoam.

_Loki?_ _(FriendPrinceScholarChangerOfThingsWeWillBeGreat)_ He heard her voice in his mind, and felt what he assumed to be that which was near impossible to translate. Taking a deep breath, he tried to communicate a response.

**Sigyn. (FriendLadySorceressLifeSeekerFeelEssences)** Joy thrummed through them both, echoing back and forth. Loki had no idea whose mind it started in. And so began their first lesson.

***

Sigyn was as clever as he and still more unwilling to get caught. The consequences for her breaking such rules as those placed on their tutelage were shaking. Loki nearly called off their sessions the moment she told him so. The thought never failed to make her smile. He had promised her greatness, had he not? Does the House of Odin betray a Lady’s honor so lightly? That quieted his protests quickly enough. Over time, they managed a routine. Of course the Prince Loki was expected to spend time with his betrothed. And so they met in the garden every other day, barring any special requirements of them. They would read to one another, or draw, or tell each other fantastical tales for an hour or so. Loki cautioned Sigyn on Heimdall’s sight as Thor had often gotten caught because of the watchman’s gaze.

These times were also spent getting to know one another. Sigyn feared thunder; she was not fond of the loud noise it created regardless of the warning that lightning gave. Loki had her join him in subjecting Thor to mischief, showing her the joy in a thunderclap. Thor often retaliated by smearing Loki in the mud, and Sigyn made sure to carry extra handkerchiefs to help clean her prince’s face. Loki always felt terrible when he was alone too long and Sigyn gave him a spelled pillow that she had coerced from her mother. Whenever Loki ran his hand along the lace trim (that she embroidered herself) the pillow would turn the blue of her magic and begin to smell like whichever of her perfumes she chose to wear that day. Thus, Sigyn was never far from him.

After a couple of hours simply enjoying one another’s presence, Sigyn would tell Loki of what she had learned in being exposed to different essences that day. Then Loki would take his turn, telling her of his lessons. Unlike Sigyn, he often had written notes and books, and calculations to be done. She was exceedingly confused as to how Loki could learn anything with the writing and experiences of others clouding his judgement. Loki could barely understand how she learned by simply _feeling_ things and remembering it all off the top of her head. One day, she swore, she would teach him to learn something and store the understanding of it in his essence. It was not until they meshed their magic together and felt each other’s souls that they understood how things worked. They took that time to go over their lessons in detail until Loki could understand and manipulate essences by asking rather than directing, or Sigyn could understand the calculations of Loki’s magic and manipulate things without living essences.

If Sigyn found during these secret lessons that she quite liked the Prince’s way of solving and manipulating problems with his own mind and two hands, none were the wiser. After all, a Lady is to be docile, and none but her betrothed should know her mind if he wished to be told. Members of the court had a bit more to say about Loki’s admiration for the saccharine cunning that he saw in his mother but truly understood through Sigyn. Regardless, those who mocked the second Prince for becoming a great Lady rather than claiming one were… dealt with. If all of Asgard believed it was Loki behind the mischief, well. It was his tutelage that taught her how to get away with it and most of the plans for vengeance were born on his side of the bond- as far as they could tell.

 

An hour’s ride from Gladsheim, Sigyn walked with her mother in the market and did not so much as twitch when she felt another’s magic slide alongside hers and mesh within. **Sigyn. (ExcitementMischiefTriumph)** She smiled to herself and perused a bolt of cloth. _Loki. (ExcitementCuriosityTeachMe)_ Loki sent her a wave of knowledge that she hadn’t the time to parse through and he knew it. He truly was excited and it was enough to make her almost fidget. The most she could make out was that he could hide things in thin air and pull them out again. She allowed herself the smallest of grins. **_I have the perfect idea._**


	4. Mourning Skies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long, this is for the couple of new Kudos I've gotten since the last update! (I'm updating with the last dregs of my data, so sorry I can't just go check who did so)
> 
> Another flash forward for you guys. 
> 
> Kudos are love! Comments are life! 
> 
> Feel free to ask me questions, I'm Jujutherubberduckie on Tumblr.

Thor stood outside Loki’s door and hesitated to knock. The Thunderer had always felt lightning in him- his veins, his belly- enticing him to move forward. This felt different; his insides rolled over and under each other. Thor had done what he could to protect Loki and the Nine Realms, obeyed his King, but at what cost? 

Father had said Loki could not see beyond the desires of his heart and it rang true. Loki only ever wanted so little, how was he to cope with losing even the smallest of his pleasures? But for him to father- mother- those children, to continue to bear them in his line when they destroyed all of Yggdrasil, it would crush his brother. Loki would be a far worse rendition of the women they had seen at trials. Women whose children were murderers or rapists, honor bound to watch the trial and pray for mercy that would not be granted. For Loki’s sake, Thor could remove the children from him and give Loki time to harden his heart. When they tried to destroy the Nine, Loki will have healed from this and prepared for it.

Unbidden, the cacophony of screams that resulted of Odin’s plans assaulted Thor’s mind. He thought of the horror and betrayal in Loki’s eyes when he looked upon his brother. Thor closed his eyes and steadied himself. Loki will heal from this, he must. There was a time before the children, before Sigyn, and they would find it again.

Taking a deep breath, Thor knocked on Loki’s door and it swung open as if it had not been shut. Loki sat directly across the room in a window seat; he did not turn or acknowledge Thor in any way. Outside, rain fell in sheets, but not a drop came through to the room. Loki sat half curled, one foot flat on the cushion, the other stretched out. In his lap, Loki held a bright blue pillow with an embroidered trim, one thumb swept across it almost meditatively. 

“It is not wise to be in my company right now, brother.” Loki rasped, his throat still not recovered from screaming. Thor found himself wishing that he would move. Twist a hand or curl a toe, Thor had only seen his brother so still once, it took a century for him to stop dreaming of the blood. 

“I wished to see you.” Thor replied, wincing at the clumsy words. He was far more skilled at tactile comfort but Loki’s demeanor promised a blade for the slightest of touches. Thor gathered his courage and stepped into the room, shutting the door softly behind him. Outside, thunder rumbled and the rain fell harder. 

“Do you remember,” Loki asked slowly, as if he were taking great care with his words or could not be bothered to say them at a conversational speed, “when Sif broke her leg and we had to carry her to Eir?” Thor remembered the day well. He had accidentally broken Sif’s leg while roughhousing. They had swam across a river while adventuring and Thor had been so guilty; the rain flooded the river and they had no hope of crossing it to get home. He hadn’t the control over it to stop and the more upset he got the harder it rained. “I stood a ways from you and Sif and swore to stand there with my mouth open. I threatened to drown myself in your rain unless you stopped it.” Thor pulled his eyes away from the back of Loki’s head and looked out of the window again. Lightning danced across the sky, followed by cracking thunder as if the very Branches were breaking. Thor ground his teeth but try as he might it only rained harder.

“I was not afraid that day.” Loki continued, and Thor did not know if he was being kind to ignore the failed attempt or if Loki simply did not care. “I knew you could stop. I knew you would stop. Even when you beat me bloody on the practice fields I was not afraid. You were trying to make me strong. I knew you then and I know you now.” To Thor’s horror, Loki let the pillow fall to the floor and braced himself on the windowsill as if he was about to climb out. 

“ _Loki_ -” Thor moved as fast as he could, but before he even grasped Loki’s arm, the pounding rain abruptly stopped. The elder brother froze in shock and barely registered Loki’s humorless snort. Neither of them moved for a moment, though Thor’s legs were still mostly in a lunged position and the wrench on Loki’s arm was clearly uncomfortable. Thor fought to remember how to breathe and straightened, pulling Loki to stand and face him. The younger man had never looked so tired. Thor ignored the little voice that cautioned him to be gentle, shook Loki hard and proceeded to shout, “ _Are you **mad**? I_ -“ 

“I wonder,” Loki cut in quietly, “if not this, what would it take for me to hate you? I cannot bring myself to muster anger, but hate- is this not what hate is born of?” Thor let his breath out in a heavy gust. He had never heard Loki so lost. His right hand clenched, wishing ply Mjolnir to Loki’s words and knowing it would do no good. 

“I- I only wanted to protect you from when the prophecy came true.” Thor said, gripping Loki tighter as if to press his intentions into bone. “If I thought the prophecy was a- a lie-“

“Four thousand years from now, when I am on my deathbed, you will learn when to think and how.” Loki murmured, “And regardless of the horrors you visit upon me from now till then, I will love you still.” Thor stared at his brother as tears clouded his vision. He clasped the back of Loki’s neck with his free hand and pressed their foreheads together. Thor willed the strength of his brow into his brother and stared into Loki’s eyes. 

“You will heal from this.” Thor did not know if it was a declaration or a question or a plea, words were not his form. Lightning flashed jagged across the sky and thunder shook Gladsheim beneath them. Loki’s face finally, finally, twisted in emotion. Through his tears, Thor was surprised to see pity turn his brother’s lips. 

“My place is by your side and there I shall remain, brother.” Loki’s words were soft and fell gently upon Thor’s mind. One strong hand grasped Thor’s forearm and the other pressed into Thor’s chest above his heart. Thor searched Loki’s eyes for a lie and found only sorrow. He blinked away the last of his tears and smiled for the first time in weeks.

~

Loki opened his eyes to see Thor sprawled on his back. They had tucked down in Loki’s bed as if they were children again. He felt a stab of pain, thinking of the way his little ones did the same. For the first time since he received it, Sigyn’s pillow carried no scent. Yet here Thor lay with his shortsighted heart, mourning skies and pleading hands; as if nothing had changed, Thor’s clumsy yet effective brand of comfort. Sigyn always said that Thor’s hands spoke for him because he only ever bothered to train his body. 

Thor’s hands meant what they said. Thor would let no harm come to Loki. If Thor had understood- if Father had let Loki _explain_ , if they had all been silent and just listened without cutting him off- Sigyn and Thor would have challenged Odin together. Thor had done his best with what he knew. Loki tried and failed to dredge up some righteous anger over the fact that his brother was a fool. He may as well blame the stars for shining without his children to admire them. 

Loki was tempted to think it was a part of Odin’s plan. To make Thor complicit and challenge Loki to fall apart. If Loki let himself break down, he would have to watch the guilt eat Thor alive and Frigga would lose both her sons. It would be like carving out the last of his heart to destroy them as well. They were all he had before and all he had left now. No, he would not “heal from this” but neither would he abandon his brother. Loki curled up again and counted three seconds before Thor shifted. A large hand brushed up against Loki’s ribs and stayed there, moving gently as his chest expanded. All he had left was this. 


End file.
